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Order of Piriven
The Order of the Harada Piriven is a prominent Maninist Order and voting member of Concourse. Their patron Harada is Piriven, a Gallatene explorer and adventurer of the sixth century RM. Their headquarters rotate between the cities of Hallandata, Krsh, Trsk, and Kest. Early History Practices Piriven is considered to have exemplified the virtues of moderation: daring tempered with prudence, speed tempered with caution, and wealth without ostentation. The comparison is often drawn between the Pirivenis and the Tehavis, and they compete in many areas. Piriveni claim that the chief difference is that Piriven knew enough not to get caught with his hand in the cookie jar, where Idiril Tehav would simply have snatched the whole thing; in the words of an anonymous Piriveni of the seventh century, the Piriveni are 'Tehavis with brains.' In truth, though, the religious motivations of the Piriveni are of far less consequence than the financial implications of their activities. Piriveni Finance In keeping with their unofficial maxim that unnecessary risk is for suckers, and both influenced by and influencing Accan developments in a similar vein, the Piriveni behave in a somewhat different fashion than their Tehavi cousins. Tehavi business is easily understood: they move something from one place to another and sell it for a profit. Piriveni originally operated in much the same fashion, though with a greater focus on the long-haul caravan routes. This was quite risky, of course, and the Piriveni made a semi-conscious decision to shift away. Now the Order does not deal in anything so prosaic as silk or honey or wine: it deals with money, and enormous amounts of it. Major Piriveni outposts are effectively bank branches of a unified financial network spanning the continent. Development of the System The development of the Piriveni financial system followed a fairly straightforward path. Temples had long been used as secure depositories, and this did not change when the Orders began to supplant the old temples. Initially the Piriveni were no more popular in this capacity than anyone else, but they did have one critical advantage: they were heavily invested in the long-distance trade routes across the center of Athis. Piriveni outposts spread further, faster, than most others. As the Orders hold their property in trust, it did not take long for someone to realize that it would be far easier to deposit his money in a Piriveni outpost in Mirais and pick it up from a different one in Hallandata than to cart chests full of coins across the Face of the Moon. The first letters of credit were issued in Vana in RM 572, and the contemporary head of the Order was struck by a sudden flash of insight, and aggressively pursued the novel strategy. From there it was but a short step to lending money outright, and from there a short step to underwriting commercial ventures. The Piriveni financial network played a crucial role in galvanising the economic growth and integration of the Athisian interior, and as the horizons of Gallatene and Nahari merchants expanded, the Piriveni were uniquely well placed to pioneer the concept of foreign exchange banking, and rapidly derived a profitable new business from the innumerable coinages of the powers lying on the edge of Athis. Present Day At the end of eighth century the Piriveni financial network, if still somewhat inchoate, spanned the continent, binding together the largest unified economic area the east of the world had ever seen. The Order had expanded into manufacturing, purchasing interests in cloth shops and acquiring a dominant position in the working of what little silk made it past the Accans. It was, moreover, Piriveni money and Piriveni waystations that kept the vital High Roads across the Face of the Moon running. The Order was, if not the richest of the Synothal Orders, then certainly very close. Tentative outreaches were beginning to be made to the Accan nuccios, that had assumed a similar role in the commerce of the Vellari state as the Piriveni had in the Halyrate; the possibility of a unified financial network covering half the world was an enticing prospect. As with the Tehavi, the Piriveni occasionally come under fire for being insufficiently devoted to virtue, but the Pirivenis retort quite reasonably that without their activities a great many good works would grind to a halt. Organization The Order's network is, broadly speaking, divided into four wings: one each serving primarily the Kern, the Kbrilma, the Berathi steppe, and the Haidali. The head of the Order is resident for one year at each wing in turn, nominally in memory of Piriven's travels, and actually to make sure the wing head isn't slacking or skimming. Category:Organization Category:Maninism